Robotic Bugs Tested for Tactical Operations

The US government is testing two small tactical robots from rough-terrain robot pioneer Boston Dynamics whose movements are based on those of a flea and a cockroach. The Sand Flea jumps high into the air to avoid obstacles, and the six-legged RHex easily crawls around on rough terrain.

The Army Test and Evaluation Command will begin assessing safety, reliability, and performance of three RHex robots, followed later this year by similar tests on Sand Flea models. Funding for the evaluation of both robots is coming through the US Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF).

The six-legged RHex robot moves like a cockroach over a wide variety of rough terrain, and can climb telephone poles and stairs. (Source: Boston Dynamics)

"Small, very mobile robots will deliver stand-off and reconnaissance capabilities in rugged terrain that current robots can’t provide," said Boston Dynamics' vice president of engineering Robert Playter, in a press release.

Once safety evaluations of the robots have been completed, the Rapid Equipping Force plans to deliver nine Sand Fleas and four RHex for testing in Afghanistan. "The mission of the REF is to find innovative solutions to meet pressing problems in theater, and to do it fast," said Gary Frost, chief technology management-REF.

The four-wheeled Sand Flea began life as the Precision Urban Hopper, an earlier collaboration between Sandia National Laboratory and Boston Dynamics that was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO).

I have to admit, the references to sand fleas and cockroaches really got to me. The idea of developing robots based on animal behaviors makes perfect sense, but I have to ask, why sand fleas and roaches?? It's amazing that the connection was made between the movements of these bugs and the desired movements for these robots for their potential applications. All I can say is, Yuck!

I saw a New Yorker cartoon recently where two cowboys were riding along, one on a horse, the other on a giant grasshopper. The caption comes from the cowboy on the grasshopper. He says, "This will all make sense when we get to the next canyon."

Ann's stories about materials and contrations coming from natrue are getting ever more interesting.

Ann, Good article. It's amazing the diversity of mobile robots but who would have imagined a robot that behaves like a cockroach that can move over a wide variety of rough terrain, plus climb telephone poles and stairs. Or a sand flea that can jump 30 feet in the air when it meets an obstacle. Is the appliation for these designs the equivalent of drones that can move over the terrain?

Beth, it has always been the case that wars bring innovation. These units will be tested in theatre. The conditions will be demanding and threats real. If they prove useful it will be a big boost for this type of technology.

Good point about war prompting innovation. Wars are won almost exclusively on which side has the superior technology in the greatest quantity, whether it's horses in the West or atom bombs in the East.

Al, I think you've basically answered Beth's question: If you need a critter that jumps extremely high and can land in weird places, a sand flea is a good candidate, and cockroaches can crawl over just about any surface. Boston Dynamics has already designed and built several other robots based on animal movement, so I suspect it didn't take much extra thought in the creative process to consider the "what if" of insects.

Rob, I'm glad you enjoy my stories about biomimicry: they are sure fun to research and write. But as a student of military history, I have to disagree with you about how wars are won. Superior technology is not enough to do the job in all or even most cases. I have one word for you: "Vietnam." I have another: "Lawrence of Arabia." (OK, that was three words, but it's an excellent example.) TE Lawrence led not very well-armed Arabs against very well-armed Turks with superior technology and won because of superior strategy and tactics, superior knowledge of terrain, and superior military intelligence and bravado. There have also been many other situations where a smaller force with equal technology beat the heck out of a larger force. Celtic tribes beat the Romans for several centuries B.C. long before the Romans wised up, borrowed Celtic tactics, improved their own technology, and got more disciplined.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

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